Snowbound - Harlequin.com
Snowbound - Harlequin.com Snowbound - Harlequin.com
140 SNOWBOUND While he, she couldn’t help noticing, now sounded remarkably calm. Reaching around her, he lifted the latch and opened the massive door. His other hand on her back, he urged her inside. Without pausing in the hacky-sack game, Hopper asked, “What were you guys doing outside? It’s cold out there. Or didn’t you notice?” “We noticed,” Fiona heard herself say. “But how else can we get away from all of you?” Hopper laughed, as if she were a comic. “Hey, Kelli was looking for you.” Troy headed the hacky-sack, forcing Hopper to lunge to catch it with his foot before it hit the floor. Wasn’t soccer popular in Iraq? Had something happened at a game there that John had seen? She started to turn to him, but he was walking away toward the kitchen, his limp noticeable. Fiona felt inexplicably chilled. For the kids’ benefit, she forced a smile. “I’ll go find her.” But she wouldn’t follow John to the kitchen. Fortunately Kelli was upstairs with Tabitha and had forgotten what she wanted. “No, I remember. I was hoping my jeans are in the dryer.” “Uh…” Fiona was blank. “I don’t know. I was just throwing wet stuff in. I’ll bet the load is dry by now. Would you two mind folding it? And putting the stuff in the washer into the dryer?” “You okay, Ms. Mac?” Tabitha asked.
JANICE KAY JOHNSON 141 She managed another smile. “I’m fine. But, you know, I think I’ll take my book—” not the one about Iraq, she’d find something else “—and go take a nice, hot bath.” “You deserve it.” Tabitha looked at her skeptically, which meant her smile hadn’t been entirely convincing, but she didn’t ask any more questions. “We can fold the laundry. Right, Kelli?” Less enthusiastic, the other girl shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” Fiona ended up skipping the book. Picking one out would have involved going downstairs, which might have meant encountering John or more unwanted curiosity from her students. She doubted she’d have been able to pay attention to a plot anyway. Instead she brooded as she soaked, reliving the kiss over and over. Now she knew what had been missing from every other kiss she’d experienced. She knew why she was rarely interested in a second date, why her few longer-running relationships had, in the end, not endured. But why, oh why, did she have to be so attracted to a man who, she was beginning to be afraid, was more damaged by the war than he was willing to admit? Of course, distance was a problem, too, but she couldn’t imagine him staying at Thunder Mountain forever. He didn’t love the business of innkeeping, he wanted the solitude. And presumably once he “decompressed”, he’d sell the lodge and move back to civilization. Perhaps even to Portland, where Robotronics was located. Not that he’d actually said a word to suggest he was interested in anything beyond a few kisses—okay, beyond sex—with her.
- Page 90 and 91: 90 SNOWBOUND mother. I was afraid s
- Page 92 and 93: 92 SNOWBOUND John dumped burgundy w
- Page 94 and 95: 94 SNOWBOUND Her laugh was a lovely
- Page 96 and 97: 96 SNOWBOUND He nodded, unsurprised
- Page 98 and 99: CHAPTER SIX AFTER DINNER, Willow di
- Page 100 and 101: 100 SNOWBOUND “Willow’s period
- Page 102 and 103: 102 SNOWBOUND you looking at her wh
- Page 104 and 105: 104 SNOWBOUND Amy lay flat on her b
- Page 106 and 107: 106 SNOWBOUND “No,” Fiona said.
- Page 108 and 109: 108 SNOWBOUND “Amy was mad becaus
- Page 110 and 111: 110 SNOWBOUND woman since he was wo
- Page 112 and 113: 112 SNOWBOUND the bathroom, then re
- Page 114 and 115: 114 SNOWBOUND “Yeah!” they said
- Page 116 and 117: 116 SNOWBOUND would that constitute
- Page 118 and 119: 118 SNOWBOUND Tabitha, both blond a
- Page 120 and 121: 120 SNOWBOUND “Snow falling off a
- Page 122 and 123: 122 SNOWBOUND water up to her neck,
- Page 124 and 125: 124 SNOWBOUND Crap. Oh, crap. He’
- Page 126 and 127: 126 SNOWBOUND the girls’s, a litt
- Page 128 and 129: 128 SNOWBOUND their path having rea
- Page 130 and 131: 130 SNOWBOUND “Does it happen oft
- Page 132 and 133: 132 SNOWBOUND steady, he took out a
- Page 134 and 135: CHAPTER EIGHT FIONA NOTICED that Jo
- Page 136 and 137: 136 SNOWBOUND was proving surprisin
- Page 138 and 139: 138 SNOWBOUND “Are you sure? I do
- Page 142 and 143: 142 SNOWBOUND She flushed at the id
- Page 144 and 145: 144 SNOWBOUND They all knew she was
- Page 146 and 147: 146 SNOWBOUND convincingly. And yet
- Page 148 and 149: 148 SNOWBOUND “If I get him, I’
- Page 150 and 151: 150 SNOWBOUND “Do you mean,” sh
- Page 152 and 153: CHAPTER NINE KISSING FIONA gave him
- Page 154 and 155: 154 SNOWBOUND cupping his mug to ke
- Page 156 and 157: 156 SNOWBOUND Stryker had roared ba
- Page 158 and 159: 158 SNOWBOUND that’s the next tow
- Page 160 and 161: 160 SNOWBOUND God. He wished it wou
- Page 162 and 163: 162 SNOWBOUND out to meet them? So
- Page 164 and 165: 164 SNOWBOUND Pros with the snowsho
- Page 166 and 167: 166 SNOWBOUND Time could be elastic
- Page 168 and 169: 168 SNOWBOUND the back by the windo
- Page 170 and 171: CHAPTER TEN IN HER REARVIEW MIRROR,
- Page 172 and 173: 172 SNOWBOUND “Why are you making
- Page 174 and 175: 174 SNOWBOUND to pull into a slot,
- Page 176 and 177: 176 SNOWBOUND She was especially in
- Page 178 and 179: 178 SNOWBOUND John, We made it safe
- Page 180 and 181: 180 SNOWBOUND Then he skipped over
- Page 182 and 183: 182 SNOWBOUND couple in a Lexus SUV
- Page 184 and 185: 184 SNOWBOUND Go see her. When was
- Page 186 and 187: 186 SNOWBOUND or the depth of commu
- Page 188 and 189: CHAPTER ELEVEN THE ROAD FELT famili
140 SNOWBOUND<br />
While he, she couldn’t help noticing, now sounded<br />
remarkably calm.<br />
Reaching around her, he lifted the latch and opened<br />
the massive door. His other hand on her back, he urged<br />
her inside.<br />
Without pausing in the hacky-sack game, Hopper<br />
asked, “What were you guys doing outside? It’s cold out<br />
there. Or didn’t you notice?”<br />
“We noticed,” Fiona heard herself say. “But how else<br />
can we get away from all of you?”<br />
Hopper laughed, as if she were a <strong>com</strong>ic.<br />
“Hey, Kelli was looking for you.” Troy headed the<br />
hacky-sack, forcing Hopper to lunge to catch it with his<br />
foot before it hit the floor.<br />
Wasn’t soccer popular in Iraq? Had something<br />
happened at a game there that John had seen?<br />
She started to turn to him, but he was walking away<br />
toward the kitchen, his limp noticeable. Fiona felt inexplicably<br />
chilled.<br />
For the kids’ benefit, she forced a smile. “I’ll go find<br />
her.”<br />
But she wouldn’t follow John to the kitchen.<br />
Fortunately Kelli was upstairs with Tabitha and had<br />
forgotten what she wanted.<br />
“No, I remember. I was hoping my jeans are in the<br />
dryer.”<br />
“Uh…” Fiona was blank. “I don’t know. I was just<br />
throwing wet stuff in. I’ll bet the load is dry by now.<br />
Would you two mind folding it? And putting the stuff<br />
in the washer into the dryer?”<br />
“You okay, Ms. Mac?” Tabitha asked.
Change language